


Ianto and the Ghost Machine (and the Headaches It Gave Him)

by Rocky_Oberlin



Series: Guardian Ianto series [3]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Episode "The Ghost Machine", Gen, Guardian series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-25
Updated: 2013-06-25
Packaged: 2017-12-16 04:12:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/857625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rocky_Oberlin/pseuds/Rocky_Oberlin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ianto knew that Gwen was going to be trouble. The incidences with the Ghost Machine just proved it. Ianto was thinking that she was worse than Owen. Besides, no one should know the future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ianto and the Ghost Machine (and the Headaches It Gave Him)

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, Gwen gets verbally punched. The ending might be out of character for her in the series, but this is how I sometimes think of how she got what she wanted. Oh, and Ianto shows he does have a temper.

Ianto was returning from Scotland while the rest of Torchwood was tracking down the alien tech on a young man. But he was around to hear how Gwen pressed the button on the alien tech that was unknown at the time. Ianto was feeling his blood pressure go up at that thought and the idea that she wasn’t reprimanded for the act was enough for Ianto to twitch in suppressed anger. Ianto was wondering if he was going to be the bad guy again and write the incident up to put in her probationary file- again.

“Any luck with finding Mr. Flannigan or this Bernie?” asked Ianto as the group trooped back in.

The look he saw on Jack’s face was enough to know that there was another incident that didn’t include Gwen. A look around the group showed the same mulish look on Owen’s face as the time he took the portable prison to find Carys when she was possessed by the alien sex gas. Tosh had the look of a person worried about her crush. Ianto wondered what had happened to get those looks on his teammates’ faces.

“Gwen! With me!” Jack stalked down the stairs and Ianto guessed that she was going to be learning the fine points of firing a gun. Ianto wondered if he was going to be cleaning the gun range of sexual activity or will Jack lead Gwen off someplace else to take care of that need. After another look and consideration, Ianto reassessed his thought and figured that it would be Gwen forcing the issue if Jack wasn’t careful. She was very willing to tumble into bed with Jack and she wasn’t making any bones about it either by the (cough) subtle (cough) looks she was giving Jack.

Giving up on that situation for the moment, Ianto turned to study his remaining teammates. Tosh was at her station looking through her computer files once again and updating the information about the Ghost Machine; Owen was slamming instruments down in the Autopsy Bay. Ianto wished that he could have gone with them to see just what happened on this trip. At the moment there was nothing he could do to help or alleviate the problem that was haunting the pair. All he was good for at the moment was to get their meals and keep the Tourists happy.

The next morning, Ianto was ready to chew iron and spit nails. He saw Gwen sneaking the Ghost Machine back into the Hub as he was checking the connections on the computers. She had come in and put her coat down, but she had slipped over to the table where Ianto knew the Ghost Machine had been left by Jack and Tosh. Ianto watched from his position under Tosh’s desk as Gwen took the Ghost Machine out of her purse and replaced it.

“There is a moratorium over taking alien tech home,” he remarked as he crawled out from under the desk.

Gwen whirled to look down at Ianto as he rose off the floor. “Are you spying on me?” she demanded.

Ianto studied Gwen as she took a defensive posture and crossed her arms. “I don’t spy. I also don’t take things that are not mine. And,” he paused to level a stern look at Gwen. “I don’t push buttons of alien tech that I don’t know. For all you know, that could have killed you or destroyed the whole city.” Ianto stalked closer to Gwen and looked her in the eye. “Do us all a favor and use that common sense that I know all human beings were graced with. Barring that, use your God damned brain over using unknown things like the Ghost Machine.” He turned and stalked away.

Ianto felt that if Gwen decided to take this to Jack, then she will have to admit to taking the Ghost Machine out of the Hub. Either way, she will not be happy with Ianto for a while and will hold a grudge. He had seen people like this before. It was the reason why he couldn’t stay in Cardiff when Guppy and Holroyd were in charge of Torchwood. They had banished him to Scotland over his views of their tactics.

Owen had not shown up for work, but the rest of the team roaring out of the parking structure gave Ianto a clue that Owen had finally decided to check in. Ianto debated on the merits of following them on the wind or staying here and keeping up pretenses. The sudden influx of tourists made Ianto’s decision for him. He was stuck explaining tourist spots several times over, avoiding being set up by women who were young when he was in the first Great War, and avoiding their granddaughters and great-granddaughters who were trying to flirt with him. What almost threw him for a loop was when a homosexual man also attempted to flirt with him. Ianto had to wonder where that sign was that said he was interested in flirting or even a relationship. May be his sister’s theory of cloaking devices wasn’t as farfetched as he was beginning to think.

When Ianto was finally able to close the center for lunch, he was mildly surprised to see that the troupe managed to return in once piece and in a fairly decent mood. That is all but Gwen, who had a haunted look on her face and was demanding assurance from Jack about something. Ianto quietly made the coffee and asked Tosh as he was passing it around.

“What happened with Gwen?”

“We found the other part to the Ghost Machine,” said Tosh quietly. “I put it back together and Gwen was holding it when she pushed the button on the new side. She saw something that really upset her. She’s been asking Jack if there was any way to change the future.”

Ianto bit back a groan and rolled his eyes. The twispin ignored him again and pushed another unknown button. Ianto was really beginning to despair of ever really getting this girl to follow instructions. He knew for a fact that she hasn’t read the policies yet and Ianto was about ready to write her a damn test just to prove to Jack that the girl was putting everyone in danger every time she went out with them.

“I have found that you take care of the present and let the future take care of itself,” said Ianto.

Tosh nodded. “But she is really upset about this. I think that she gave Bernie her number if anything should happen.”

Ianto shook his head. “Gwen shouldn’t have done that. We have a special number for people we are watching and situations like that. Personal numbers should be given to people in the know more about our job than the idea that we run after the strange and unusual. If he calls, she will run right to him and any danger that is coming for him. If there’s no backup because she didn’t call, they both could be killed.”

“Like the number you gave to DI Swanson and Constable Davidson?” asked Tosh slyly.

Ianto gave her an amused look. “Exactly. They are more likely to hear about something that didn’t register on the Rift monitor and can let me know about it. I didn’t give them your number because I didn’t want to invade your privacy. I didn’t give them Jack’s because they will never use it. Constable Davidson has Gwen’s, but he has objections over her new attitude towards him.”

“Do you wish we had hired him instead of Gwen?” asked Tosh.

“In a way,” Ianto said slowly, “yes.” He looked up at Jack’s office and sighed. “I think that the crisis is at a lull for the moment. I should get the Captain and Gwen their coffee while it’s still relatively hot.” Ianto picked up his tray from the table near Tosh’s workstation and carried it up the stairs. As he left, Owen stood next to Tosh.

“That was a strange conversation,” he remarked.

Tosh nodded. “It was like he knew more about this job than just what he did at Torchwood 1. I wonder if there is anything in his past that we don’t know about when I looked him up for Jack.”

Owen shrugged. “There could be, but at the moment I think that we have other things to worry about. He was right about his assessment of Gwen and her actions around Bernie. She’s still thinking like a copper and not a Torchwood agent.” At Tosh’s look, Owen flushed. “Jack reamed me a new one over not getting letting him know where I was and not having backup. Just because Ed Morgan liked to attack young girls didn’t mean that he couldn’t have killed me by some fluke.” Owen made a face. “I didn’t appreciate the lecture, but I understand the principle now that I had time to think about it. I still don’t like him treating me like an erring kid though.”

Tosh nodded her head. “None of us do.” They watched as Ianto put away his tray and went down to the Archives. There was more to him than they knew and Tosh didn’t think that the file she first pulled for Jack when Ianto first started to approach him for a job was complete. He seemed to know more than he let on.

Ianto was right about what would happen if Bernie ever called Gwen. She went roaring off to protect him and the rest of the team was left flat-footed. It was only chance that had Tosh checking where Ed Morgan was, which gave them a bit more time to get a warning to the idiot woman and the idiot child. Too bad she didn’t listen to instructions to stay in the flat and to keep her charge with her. Ianto figured that if she had listened to Jack, then Ed Morgan would have died of a heart attack instead of dying by stab wound that precipitated heart failure. Owen had made peace with himself and the situation he had seen, but Ianto was sure that Gwen was still bleating about stabbing the man with his own knife. Looking at the CCTV footage, Ianto was wondering if he should teach her how you hold a weapon since it seems that Jack hasn’t. Or, most likely, she didn’t listen. Again. Ianto had been grinding his teeth so much since this woman showed up and started flaunting the rules that he was in fear of losing his teeth. He would have to do something soon.

“Ianto! Can I speak to you for a moment?”

Ianto nodded from where he was cleaning out a bin. “Just a moment, sir,” he called back. Ianto wondered if Gwen went to Jack about Ianto’s blatant disregard for her feelings yet. He climbed the stairs and knocked at Jack’s office door. “You called, sir?”

Jack looked up from the paperwork on his desk. “Yeah. Gwen said that she saw you with the Ghost Machine the other day. She said that you had taken it home. Then you yelled at her when she confronted you about it.”

Ianto held a straight face, but on the inside he was seething. How dare that brat try to pin her crime on him? “Did you check the internal CCTV, sir?” he bit out.

Jack was a bit startled at the less than smooth tone, but cued up the video for that time frame. He watched as Ianto came in to start his day by checking the cables connecting the computers for Tosh and Owen. When Gwen appeared, Jack was surprised to see her take the Ghost Machine out of her purse. He watched as she was confronted by Ianto, who had been calm, but still frightening when he gave her the warning about using unknown alien tech. It was almost enticing to see his archivist get so primal with her. He glanced up at Ianto. “Okay, I see I’m talking to the wrong person. I’m sorry for interrupting.”

“And yet, you believed her over any idea that I might be the only one who would listen to you about the tech,” said Ianto. “Just remember, I also can get into personnel files and place warnings. I also would contest any disciplinary action you would have taken if you hadn’t checked the feed first. I also talk to the Queen, Captain Harkness,” Ianto hissed. “She may listen to you about Torchwood, but she knows that I have a better idea of what is going on in this branch.” He turned and left the office. Ianto was going home, calling whatever family member was available, and drinking down the scotch that he had in his cupboard. It was too close to the Canary Warf disaster to deal with pigheaded Captains and thick- headed new hires.

On his way home, Ianto felt a chill run down his back. It felt like somewhere out in one of the many different universes one of his many possibilities had done something rash. He hoped that it wasn’t taking Lisa out of Torchwood 1 and placing her in Cardiff. It was hard enough when Ianto had to look at her and see that the woman who had kept him grounded for so long was not there anymore. It hurt more to ask his sister to administer the drugs to help her slip quietly into death. The gunshot to her forehead was just too much and he had to be escorted away from his friend. Ianto hoped that whatever Ianto out there didn’t make his life so much harder by trying to fix something that could never be fixed.


End file.
